The background description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it may be described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present technology.
An assembly line, such as in an automobile factory, will commonly have a conveyer system in which individual assemblies or sub-assemblies are transported through the line on platform conveyers, also known as “skillets”. Often, one or more technicians will operate on an assembly that is positioned on a skillet at various points in the assembly line.
In some instances it can be difficult to provide adequate illumination of a portion of an assembly to be operated on by a technician. For example, the undercarriage of an automobile assembly may be poorly lit unless dedicated lights are positioned to illuminate it. To work as desired, such dedicated lights may need to be positioned on, or otherwise travel with, the skillet. Such lights require power.
Existing options to power mobile lights on a skillet include an electrified rail to provide power to a skillet throughout the entire line, or induction lights mounted in the skillet with inducers positioned at one or more locations in the line. Either approach can be expensive to install and maintain and, in the case of the electrified rail, limit the turn radius of conveyer. Thus an inexpensive and flexible system for providing power to a conveyer would be desirable.